It allows anyone to report a possible scam on the BBB website, which is then ultimately posted for others to see.

In 2016 alone, the website logged over 32,000 scam reports in the U.S and Canada with tax collection scams accounting for about a quarter of all of them.

When it comes to scams, Hawaii holds a unique distinction.

Here in Hawaii, 966 reports were made, putting us in second place when it comes to the amount of reports made.

The only other state to beat Hawaii was Idaho.

“We see that as a good thing, because that’s not necessarily that scams are happening and this is not the second-highest state that scams are happening in,” explained Jason Kama, Hawaii Better Business Bureau director of marketing. “People are realizing what is going on, and reporting the scams so other people know what to look out for.”

With Hawaii having a high population of senior citizens who often become targets, some might say Hawaii has become a hotbed of activity.

“As a Hawaii chapter, I really see this as a success for us, because our mission is to inform people of what their resources are, and how to identify scams and report them back to the community so that people shouldn’t be losing money,” Kama said.

Kama says while progress has been made in educating the public about scams through word of mouth, the number of scam attempts continues to remain steady.

“I think one of the big things that we have going for us here is our partnership with the media like KHON, making sure that the stories get out to the community in time that the public can prepare for it,” Kama said.

If you have a consumer concern or are interested in becoming an Action Line volunteer, give us a call at 591-0222 weekdays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. or send an email to actionline@khon2.com.